Executive board report, fall 2014

November 14, 20140 comment

WINNIPEG

Executive board meetings are about “seeing where God is leading us to enhance and resource ministry on the ground through the provinces, local churches and constituents,” says national moderator Harold Froese.

“The mood around the table is one of collaboration,” he says after chairing his first meeting of the CCMBC executive board in October. “The thing that really warmed my heart was when individuals around the table would stop the meeting and ask for prayer.”

Froese says goals for the period leading up to Gathering 2016 include further implementation of the services model (“sandbox”) between the provinces and the national conference, maximizing the effectiveness of the Board of Faith and Life, and processing the mission statement.

The driving question is “how can we operate almost like one conference between us and the provinces to resource ministry on the ground?” says Froese.

The board will take further action on releasing a formal mission statement at its January meeting after provincial leadership bodies have had opportunity to process it and report back.

Two other strategic considerations for the board are the crafting of a communications philosophy and strategy built on accountability and transparency, and the promotion of leadership succession planning in various areas of church ministry.

CCMBC Legacy Investments Inc., the fund announced at Gathering 2014, is still moving forward as a long-term project. The board will communicate by letter to stewardship fund depositors with more information.

The finance team met in November to make necessary adjustments to the 2015 budget based on 2014 actuals and to begin projections for 2016. There seems to be a “renewed enthusiasm across the country” for giving, Froese says, as churches get excited about what the conference is offering through C2C and L2L. “But there’s a time lapse before that is translated into wallets.

“We want to relay our gratitude for people’s interest and support, prayer and finances,” says Froese, inviting constituents to contact the board with questions and encouraging them to attend the upcoming provincial conventions. “Pray for the work God is doing.”